Developing your topic/question

Is there enough available information on my topic? Do some exploratory searching first, using the internet and the Library's 'Search Everything'. If you need assistance, Ask a librarian.

What am I truly interested in, what do I really want to learn about?

Who else will be interested in this research? The topic should be of interest not only to you but to others, too.

Is the scope so broad I will lose direction? If so, how can I narrow it down? Again, you can consult a librarian for suggestions.

In the early stages, you may find it helpful to write your topic as a title and include a brief description and how it could be developed, to define your ideas and plot a course of action. Although your research topic or aspects of it may change, it's still useful to record your thoughts in the form of a 'log,' to remind yourself of how the topic has evolved and to help you avoid retracing your steps.

discuss ideas with your professor/mentor -- he/she is an expert within their discipline and can help you decide on an appropriate topic

keep in mind that topics are not fully formed at the start but take shape as you research them

Google

To search for more relevant or non-commercial results, limit your search by domain, for example .edu, .org, .gov, .net. Enter your keywords followed by the command site:[domain].

For example, if your topic was "how can the effect of wind turbines on birds and other wildlife be minimized?," you could type:

birds wildlife wind turbines site:gov

Using primary and secondary sources

Secondary sourcesprovide an overview of your topic/question. Use them to get started.

When you locate a relevant primary source, carefully read the description of the study's methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. Determine if the source pertains to your topic/question and how it helps you answer your question or part of your question. Don't forget to scan the study's bibliography to identify more sources, too!

Provide a broad perspective on a topic or a synthesis of ideas about a topic and have bibliographies of relevant sources

Used in addition to primary literature, not in place of.

Often refer to information from primary sources. Be careful! Don't cite a primary source unless you have found and read it!

Primary sources:

Include articles from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. Some disciplines also consider conference proceedings to be primary sources. Check with your mentor.

These are original research studies, and they are what you'll be expected to base your work on.

Like secondary sources, they contain information about other sources consulted for their research. Do NOT refer to a study that you read ABOUT in a primary source, only refer to those you read yourself.

Also includes more than 74,000 videos from the Associated Press, which appear in a carousel in the result list. Updated monthly, this collection of videos from the world’s leading news agency includes footage from 1930 to the present and helps round out student research